Voluntary alcohol drinking selectively accelerates dopamine release in the ventral striatum as reflected by 3-methoxytyramine levels.
Alcohol-preferring Alko, Alcohol (AA) rats with free access to food and water were taught to voluntarily consume 10% alcohol solution during 20-min sessions. After the drinking session, rats had elevated dopamine release (as reflected by 3-methoxytyramine concentrations) in the nucleus accumbens, olfactory tubercle, and caudate-putamen. When alcohol solution was replaced by plain water, dopamine release was increased only in the caudate-putamen, indicating selective activation of the mesolimbic dopaminergic pathway by alcohol.
Honkanen
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Department of Pharmacy, University of Helsinki, Finland. aapo.honkanen@helsinki.fi
Ahtee
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L
Korpi
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D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D000428:Alcohol Drinking / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D003342:Corpus Striatum / Q000378:metabolism*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000378:metabolism*; D004326:Drinking / Q000502:physiology; D006719:Homovanillic Acid / Q000378:metabolism; D009994:Osmolar Concentration; D051381:Rats; D011922:Rats, Mutant Strains; D014018:Tissue Distribution; D014836:Volition / Q000502:physiology*
D015102:3,4-Dihydroxyphenylacetic Acid; C001746:3-methoxytyramine; D004298:Dopamine; D006719:Homovanillic Acid